Good News: Stories that cheered us up for the week 23-29 September

Soaring native bird numbers, a blind surfer who conquered the world's biggest wave, and a coffee house serving kindness are among the latest feel-good stories from RNZ.

Blind surfer conquers the biggest wave in the world

At the age of 5, Australian surfer Matt Formston was diagnosed with macular dystrophy, a rare eye condition that left him with only 3 percent of his vision. Instead of letting that limit him, Formston decided he would dedicate his life to proving that he could do anything.

Now, the 46-year-old is a world champion Paralympian, cyclist, author and motivational speaker - and he's just added another record under his belt, as the first-ever blind surfer to conquer the Nazare break in Portugal, known as the world's biggest wave.

Interactive map launched in bid to save the bittern

The Taranaki Regional Council has launched an interactive map to make it easier for the public to log sightings of Australasian bittern. Hosted on its website, the map allows people to drop a marker where they have seen the elusive wetland bird, noting the time and place, and upload photos.

Senior ecologist Halema Jamieson said there were fewer than 1000 matuku-hūrepo left in New Zealand and maybe fewer than 30 in Taranaki, so it was essential that data was gathered to support conservation efforts.

Researchers find marine animal forests in Wellington waters

Victoria University researchers have discovered a surprising number of animal ecosystems in Wellington's shallow waters.

The ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, were found by researchers Professor James Bell, Dr Valerio Micaroni and Dr Francesca Strano in several sites including Wellington Harbour, many at depths of less than 15 metres. Sponge beds were also discovered; which could filter between 500 million to 1 billion litres of water daily, transfer nutrients to the sea floor and influence the overall water quality.

Wellington's native bird numbers continue to soar

Wellington's latest bird monitoring report shows council and community-driven pest trapping schemes are working, with native bird numbers in the city continuing to climb. An annual report on native birds, now in its 14th year, showed native bird encounters across the city had increased by 55 percent since 2011.

The tūī was the most frequently counted species during the latest monitoring periods, followed by the tauhou, riroriro and the pīwakawaka. Kākā are also often observed due to their boisterous behaviour; the birds are referred to by some Wellington enthusiasts as "the bogans of the sky".

Tourism sustains two generations of sheep farmers

Dome glamping, farm tours and jetting up the Hurunui River are all highlighting cultural heritage at a traditional sheep farm in North Canterbury's Blythe Valley. "I'm Ngāi Tahu on my mum's side. So we try and incorporate a little bit of that into the farm tours and jet boating, mainly through storytelling," Tim Loughnan says.

"It's only a one-person farm really, so we need to generate some income from somewhere else and, as we know, farm income is a bit up and down," says Tim's Dad Mike. The tourism introduces the farmers to new people and in turn, tourists get to see a Kiwi farm up close.

Serving up coffee - and kindness

On the main drag of Taumarunui, Trunk Coffee House not only serves a cup of java, but shares a lot of kindness. The man behind it is Rhys Eden Delamere, who purchased the old Trunk FM coffee house building and touched it up with his charisma.

"One thing my mum and nana would say [was] 'be kind always', so I'm out there spreading kindness," he says. After his nan passed away, he finds solace in helping kaumātua in his community. Like a hook, line, and sinker, he reels kaumātua in to his Trunk Coffee House with an offer of a free cup of coffee or tea, or he takes food to their houses.